


Changing Sides

by lolliipxps



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Tyki know his way with words..., except that we still don’t know what’s happened to him on canon....
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-06-05 05:24:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15163604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lolliipxps/pseuds/lolliipxps
Summary: What's really happening to Lavi while he is being held captive in the Noah's Ark? With the Bookman gone, what will he do? (Originally worked on Jan-Feb 2017)





	1. Temptation

It was just another miserable day in the ark, well a miserable day for Lavi. The Bookman Jr had been put through a lot of torture today, a little more than usual. It would seem that the Noah's were getting more desperate with each day that passed. So, each day he would end up with more bruises and it was beginning to wear him out. However, there was no way he would let them get what they wanted. He would never give them the information they wanted, the information on the fourteenth.

If he even so much as thought about it, he knew he would disappoint the old panda. Not to mention he might be putting his Allen in more jeopardy than he was already in. Speaking of Allen, he was wondering how his old friend has been. Sadly, though, he'd lost track of how long he'd been trapped here. Weeks, months… and he couldn't be saved.

Maybe this was best for him. As a Bookman's apprentice, he was supposed to remain emotionally detached from his assignment but he had failed in that regard. Truth be told, Lavi had gotten way too close to the very same Exorcists that he was just supposed to record. Perhaps the Old Panda was already disappointed in him.

Now that Lavi was all alone, he had nothing but time. Yes, he was perfectly that his Master was gone. The Noah hadn't managed to get anything out of him and now he was gone, leaving only the Bookman Jr. It was then that a new thought crossed his mind. Was he even still a Bookman Jr? Since his master was gone, maybe he wasn't going to come back to save him.

No, Lavi had to be thinking too much… There was no way the Old Panda wasn't going to come for him. Of course, he was going to come for him, after all, they had been together for twelve long years. There was no way the older man would just throw those years away, right?

His thoughts were interrupted as the door to the room opened, revealing a rather bored Tyki. Tyki was carrying something in his hands, something that looked like a plate… Oh, yes, Lavi could smell that food. That oh so glorious food. The Bookman Jr. licked his lips as Tyki got closer. However, like the tease that he was, Tyki stopped in front of him, just far away enough that there was no way Lavi would be table to reach for the food. Not that he could anyway, seeing as he was tied to the chair.

"What's the matter, eye-patch? Are you hungry?" Tyki smirked as he practically flaunted the food in front of Lavi, "Will you finally spill the beans or shall I save the food for myself?"

Lavi glared at the Noah before leaning back in his seat and shaking his stubbornly. Go figure, this would be some sort of trap just to get information out of him. Well, Tyki's trick was not going to work on him. He'd sooner starve than tell them anything. Then again, it's not like he really knew that much.

"If you're going 'ta tease me like that, you might as well leave," Lavi huffed and looked away from the Noah and shook his head once more, "Your bribes won't work on me. There is no way I would disappoint the Old Panda. So, do me a favor and just give up on it."

Tyki didn't give the response that Lavi expected. He had expected the Noah of Pleasure to get angry with him like his brother did but instead, all he did was laughed. What was so funny, exactly? This, of course, confused the redhead and rose an eyebrow.

"What don't you understand, Eye-patch? The Bookman isn't here anymore, he abandoned you and left you with us, who could easily torture you. Do you not feel betrayed?" Tyki replied as he continued to flaunt the food, "It doesn't matter what he thinks of you now because he will never see you again."

Lavi didn't want to think about such negative things anymore. If he did than he would lose faith in the Bookman and he didn't want to do that. Never once in the twelve that he had been with the Old Panda did he doubt him.

"I won't let you manipulate me, you damn Noah," Lavi snapped and clenched his fists, if only he could escape his bindings. "There is no way you can turn me against the Old Panda, got that? If don't mind, I'd rather be alone than have to deal with you, Noah bastard."

Tyki sighed and shook his head before responding, "I would appreciate it if you would stop calling me such vulgar names, thank you. I'll give you some time to think what I said over and I think that you will find that I am right. After all, what else do you have to do around here?"

To say that Lavi was surprised would be an understatement. One, the last thing he expected was the Noah to seem to calm and collected. His family had certainly not been so kind to him, so why was he acting so friendly to him?

Tyki walked closer towards him, closing the distance between them as pulled a piece of the food and held it close to Lavi's mouth, tempting him. It was so hard to find the urge to just take the others offer, even if it was just one small bite. Since the food was in such close proximity to his mouth, the temptation won and the Bookman Jr. couldn't help but take a bite. This made Tyki smirk as he backed away.

"That's all you'll be getting now, eye-patch," Tyki turned around and started to head towards the door before stopping temporarily, "Oh, and don't forget to think it over, got it? I'll be giving you plenty of time… So, see you later, eye-patch."

The Noah left Lavi to his own thoughts, Lavi looking down in shame. Not only had the Noah of pleasure managed to tease him with the food but he had also succeeded in confusing him, driving him more nuts than he already was.

Damn that Noah, why did he have to play with his mind like that?


	2. Compromise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyki continues to tempt Lavi. Lavi breaks.

It had been days, maybe even approaching a week, since Tyki came in and spoke to Lavi and right now it looked like the Noah would be right. Lavi wanted so hard to prove him wrong but with each day that passed it was getting harder and harder. If the Old Panda was going to come back for him, he was sure he would have been here by now. So, why hadn't he come back yet and why did he even leave without Lavi in the first place? Did he do something wrong?

Of course, there was no way of knowing anymore. With the bookman gone, Lavi felt lost. For the first time, he was without the master who had he had never once been without. Lavi has always been strong but now he wondered just how strong he was. Nothing in particular had changed since the Bookman's departure but ever so slowly, Lavi could feel himself crack under the pressure.

Lavi was reaching a breaking point but hadn't completely given up yet. But unfortunately, it's not like he was much help anyway. He essentially knew next to nothing about the fourteenth yet they wouldn't take his word for it. All he had been was the Bookman Jr, not the Bookman. At this moment, he didn't even know if he could be considered the Bookman's apprentice at this point.

Meanwhile, Tyki had been watching the Bookman Jr at a distance over the last few days, just to see if his words had some kind of impact and they might have. It also gave him pleasure seeing the other slowly break, but then again, he took pleasure in a lot of things. However, there was something about Lavi that kept him more interested than usual. He couldn't quite figure that out.

Also, unlike his brother, he had noticed that Lavi didn't know as much as Sheril thought he did. No, Tyki wasn't Wisely but he didn't have to read minds when one could read expressions. Lavi's lack of knowledge might make him seem pretty useless, though. All Sheril really wanted him around for was to get some dirt on the fourteenth. Of course, that was only because of what happened with Road.

The Noah of Pleasure had waited long enough and today he was going to see what kind of decision the other had come to. Obviously, he had to wait until Sheril was done with him before he went in. Seeing as Sheril had just finished up not too long ago, he decided to go on into the room, food once more in his hands.

Lavi jumped slightly in his seat when he heard the door open, assuming it was Sheril coming back for a round two. When he looked up, though, he felt some relief in knowing that it was Tyki. Wait… why was he feeling relief when Tyki was just as bad as Sheril. He was a Noah, so why would he be different from the others. Yet, he got different vibes from Tyki than he did Sheril.

"Good evening, eyepatch, I trust that you've had a good day," Tyki smirked as sat down in a chair that was positioned across from Lavi, whom frowned, "So, have you thought about my offer? Look, I even brought food for you with me, aren't I nice?"

Lavi said nothing as he looked at the food in Tyki's hands, his hunger causing him to lose focus. He sighed and tried to take his mind off the food enough for him to turn his attention to Tyki, who only grinned.

"Well, I'll say one thing, you were right about the Old Panda not coming back, I guess he really is gone," Lavi said quietly, frowning at the thought, "I did think about your offer but I'm not sure what knowledge I can offer. You Noah seem to think that I know everything but I don't. The Old Panda is the one that knows everything, I'm just his apprentice, if I am even that anymore…"

The grin on Tyki's face never faded as he watched Lavi carefully. Of course, he didn't expect such a straight answer. If anything, he expected the other to sound as stubborn as he'd sounded before. The daily routine was certainly starting to get Lavi, wasn't it?

"Well, unlike my dear brother, I don't care as much about the fourteenth. Besides, we'll catch the fourteenth eventually. We end up getting our way in the end," Tyki sighed before crossing his legs and sitting up straight, "You have more information on the Black Order, don't you? That information will do."

Lavi's eyes widened at Tyki's words. Was the Noah really expecting him to betray the Order just for a bite of food or was there more to it than that? Either way. The thought of betraying his friends was hard. Then again, as far as he knew, he was still a Bookman Jr and all they existed for was to record. Was there really such a thing as betrayal to him? Not to mention the fact that he was actually very hungry. Right now, Lavi couldn't think straight.

"But if I tell you anything about the Order, you will use that knowledge to destroy it, I don't think I could ever allow that," Lavi replied hesitantly and shook his head, "I'm supposed to be neutral here, so that wouldn't be far, giving the advantages to the other side."

"Neutral, huh? You have no idea how hypocritical you sound, do you?" Tyki chuckled and shook his head, "Isn't that a bit unfair to us, seeing as this whole time you've been with them? Giving them an advantage?"

Lavi froze up at that. Tyki was right about that. He didn't realize what had come out of his mouth until now and really did sound like a hypocrite. So, now he found himself doubting himself. Before going to the Order, Lavi had been great. He had no allegiances but now he was compromised, so he was no better than everyone else.

Instead speaking up, Lavi just looked down sadly at the ground. At this point it was obvious just how mentally exhausted and broken he was. He wouldn't say it out loud but it's not like he would have to.

"Oh, c'mon eyepatch, if you don't hurry up and answer me your food is going to get cold," Tyki teased as he continued to watch the other closely, "Okay, how about I present a better deal. I'll give you the food free of charge if you agree to be our Bookman. I'll have to talk it over with the Earl but I am sure we can come up with some arrangement, so what do you think?"

The offer surprised Lavi, as he didn't expect Tyki to do something like that. After all this time helping the Exorcists against them, why would Tyki ask him that? Then again… If he was getting to close to the other side, wouldn't it be better this way?

Lavi was struggling to come up with an answer but it had now gotten to the point where he needed to start worrying about him. The Bookman wasn't here anymore and he had nothing left. With that in mind, Lavi had finally come up with an answer, from this day forward he would help the Noah…

"Okay… I'll take your deal, just make sure 'ta keep your end of the bargain," Lavi said, doing his best to sound as calm possible.

The grin on Tyki's face extended slightly more at the Bookman Jr's answer as stood up and sat the food down on his chair before making his way towards the back of Lavi's chair.

"We have a deal then, but don't you try anything funny or I will kill you," Tyki whispered seductively in Lavi's ear before undoing his bindings, "The Earl will be pleased with your answer."

The minute Lavi was free he reached out towards the other chair and grabbed the food, eating happily and not thinking about what he'd just done.

 


	3. The Earls Approval

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lavi becomes the Noah’s Bookman.

Tyki couldn't help but grin as he left the room in which Lavi had been locked in, but making sure to lock it (it locked from the outside), as he didn't quite trust Lavi yet. Even though he was a bookman, he had spent a lot of time with the Exorcists. The Noah couldn't risk the younger male running away.

It gave him great pleasure in knowing that his patience paid off and he got what he wanted. Of course, when Lavi first arrived he was stubborn and strong-willed but Sheril, despite how nice he was with his family, was a cruel man. Even the most stubborn man could be broken, even the Bookman jr. Though, Lavi had managed to confused Tyki at first.

Normally, from what he had learned, Bookman were a neutral party. They weren't really supposed to get involved at all. Their job was to simply observe and take notes, which of course would require good memory. Silly things like emotions and alliances were not a part of their life. However, Lavi seemed to be a different case.

While the Bookman had managed to keep that mindset, it would seem Lavi had been a bit more susceptible. Maybe it was because he was so young? The young were so easily to manipulate and susceptible to change. Perhaps that is why he was so easy to break.

Still, Tyki took pride in the fact that he was the one that managed to persuade Lavi to their side. After all, not many of the Noah had the same silver tongue that he had. Hopefully the Earl would be pleased with his work. Sure, it would catch him off guard but it would benefit them in the end. Speaking of the Earl, Tyki was already on his way to see him.

Of course, the Earl wasn't exactly in the best mindset due to the last time he had seen the fourteenth. This always happened when the fourteenth was mentioned or he just so happened to think of him. Tyki did feel sorry for the Earl but all he could do was try and cheer him up. Perhaps a bit of good news would help lighten the Earl's spirit.

Tyki could recognize the Earl as he saw him, in his more normal looking Noah form, sitting in a chair and his legs crossed as he seemed to be drinking tea. The younger Noah could already tell that the Earl really needed some good news. He sighed and took a deep breath before proceeding forward, automatically catching the Earl's attention, whom turned around and smiled, waving at him.

"Well hello there, Tyki-pon, what brings you here?" Earl asked with a slightly brighter smile, "I didn't expect to see you but it's nice surprise. Have you by chance heard anything knew about the fourteenth yet?"

There was a moment of silence as Tyki took a seat not too far from the Earl and sighed. He shook his head in response before replying, "Unfortunately there has been no progress with that but, however, I do have some other news for you that you might find appealing."

What else could Tyki have to tell him that he would possibly want to know? All he had really been concerned about was the fourteenth. To him, there was nothing more important, unless Tyki's information proved useful to the Noah.

"Okay, I'll hear you out," The Earl sighed and took a sip of his drink, raising an eyebrow at Tyki, "What is that you have to tell me? I hope it's good news, otherwise I'll be rather disappointed with you."

"Well, you know how Sheril's been trying to get answers out of the Bookman Jr since the Bookman left?" Tyki asked, a grin returning to his face as the Earl nodded, "It turns out that it's kind of pointless because Lavi doesn't have much information. However, he has been training as a Bookman, which means he knows other things that could possibly be very useful. It took a lot of work but I managed to convince him to join our side."

At first the Earl was caught off guard. Why would it be so important to have someone like Lavi on their side? However, the more he thought about it the more it made since. Bookman had a great memory and their very job was to gain and retain information. Having Lavi around would give them insight, especially since the redhead knew plenty of things about the Black Order.

"You never fail to disappoint me, Tyki-pon, but I do have to admit that I didn't see this coming," The Earl commented with a grin of his own as he sat his drink down and leaned forward slightly, "This could prove useful to us; however, do you think we can trust him? After all, he's been with the Order and he might be tricking you."

"Trust me, I know that for a fact that he isn't lying," Tyki replied and crossed his arms, "He may have been with him in the past but Sheril has been rather cruel to him. Of course, I took advantage of that and since he is so young, he was easy to manipulate. Besides, if you feel that you can't trust him we could always keep him in the ark until you can. Enough exposure and I'm sure you'll gain his loyalty. I'm very persuasive."

"Very well, Tyki-pon, but since you seem to have so much faith in him I'll leave him in your care," The Earl stated, and Tyki seemed fine with that, "Do your best to make sure to make sure you gain his loyalty. Sheril won't be too happy about this, though."

Tyki merely chuckled at the Earl. He was sure it wouldn't be too hard to take care of Lavi. In fact, in watching him, Tyki felt that he at least knew a few things about him. If he wanted to know more, he would get it out of the redhead over time. When it came to Sheril, he would be able to take care of that too, that he was also positive about.

The Noah of Pleasure stood up and bowed as if thanking the Earl before resuming his previous position. Now that he had the Earl's approval he could go back to Lavi, who at this point had the food completely devoured.

_**With Lavi** _

It hadn't taken Lavi long to fully digest the food that he had presented with. Oh god, it felt so good to get food in his system as he had been practically starved. However, now that he could finally think straight, he thought about what he had done. He instantly felt terrible for agreeing to become the Noah's Bookman. How could he do that to the Order.

His inner Bookman had been scolding him for quite some time now, though. Originally it hadn't bothered him so much but that was before the whole thing in the Ark. When Road had messed with his mind, it re-awoke that part of him. He hoped that in defeating Road, that it would have gone away but it didn't. That consciousness never left after that.

It would tell him that he needed to start thinking like a Bookman again. The consciousness had also commented on the fact that it was disappointed him from letting the Order change his resolve. However, Lavi did his best to ignore it until now.

Lavi knew that the consciousness was right. It was his fault that he had strayed so far from what he needed to be. This was probably the best move for him, switching sides to join the ranks of the Noah as their Bookman. His resolve was now crystal clear, at least for now.

"Man, what's taking that Noah bastard so long?" Lavi muttered as he'd assumed that Tyki was going to come back. The newly appointed Bookman had already agreed to his terms and once he made a promise, he never went back on it.

Low and behold, Tyki did return as expected. The redhead knew it was him even before seeing the all too familiar grinning face. Obviously, that meant that things with the Earl went over well. Maybe now he wouldn't have to worry about being killed by any of the other Noah.

"Ah, there you are, I was beginning 'ta think that you wouldn't show up," Lavi sighed, though smiling slightly at the Noah, "I take it things went well with the Earl? Or did he send you here to kill me?"

Tyki merely shook his head as he approached the younger male. For some reason, there seemed to be something different about Lavi but he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. Maybe in the time of his absence Lavi had been thinking things over. No doubt about it, he did certainly seem more confident now.

"Do you even know the meaning of patience, eyepatch?" Tyki inquired and rose an eyebrow at Lavi, "You have nothing to worry about because he didn't send me to kill you. In fact, he was rather happy to hear that you decided to join us. Now, would you like to get out of this room? I can imagine it's been annoying being stuck in this room for so long."

Lavi rose an eyebrow. Not that he wasn't glad he was going to be able to leave the room but what was the catch? Where exactly where would he end up now? Did the Noah trust him enough to be alone or would he be babysat? It was most likely the latter since it wasn't exactly easy to earn the Earl's trust, or so he thought.

"I must admit that I shocked the Earl agreed to this, considering how stubborn he is," Lavi commented as he slowly stood up out of his seat, not taking his eyes off Tyki, "I'm sure he didn't accept this out of the kindness of his heart. What exactly is the catch and don't tell me there isn't one."

"Believe it or not, the Earl has a reason to act how he does, but you don't understand because you haven't been around him," Tyki said as he took out a cigarette and lit it before taking a puff, "The Earl doesn't quite trust you yet, so he put you in my care but don't worry, you'll be well taken care of. Just make sure not to get on his bad side, okay?"

So, that was it, that was the catch. Since the Earl didn't trust him it was logical to put him under Noah supervision but why Tyki? Was it because Tyki was the one who managed to pull this stunt off? Either way, Lavi wasn't going to complain too much, whatever it took to save his hide.

"Alright, understandable, I think I'm ready to go now. Let's go ahead and blow this joint already. If I stay in here any longer I feel like I'm going to go crazy."


	4. The Official Bookman

Upon arriving in Tyki's room, where apparently, he was being forced to stay for now since the Earl didn't trust him, Lavi instantly laid on the bed without even asking. It felt so good to lay in a comfortable bed after being bound, though he was allowed limited movements, to that wretched chair. God, that thing had been so uncomfortable. Lavi didn't quite understand how he had managed to fall asleep at all in that damn thing. Then again, he'd never really gotten that much sleep in the first place.

Of course, when Lavi closed his eyes the last thing he expected was to fall asleep; however, the lack of sleep caught up to him and he fell asleep almost immediately. Tyki, on the other hand, wasn't surprise in the slightest. In fact, he knew that Lavi would pull this stunt the moment he laid on that bed. Though, now Tyki had to think about where was sleeping.

The only thing remotely comfortable in his room was indeed his bed. He did have a chair but that wasn't near as good and he wouldn't be able to fall asleep in it. There was also no way he was going to sleep on the floor. The Noah of Pleasure sighed, as much he wanted not to, he figured that he would have to share his bed with the redhead. This is what he got for agreeing to babysit Lavi.

It's funny, Lavi seemed more peaceful when he was sleeping, in a way, it was kind of adorable. Tyki shook his head at that thought. What on earth was he doing? Why was he that Lavi was adorable? The Bookman had previously been his enemy there is no way he should be thinking about things like that. The Noah sighed, it was way too early for him to get any sleep… So, what on was he going to do?

To Lavi, time had flown by without him even knowing, in fact, he had managed to sleep all day. The new Bookman had then woken up the next morning and was honestly confused at first. He didn't recognize this new setting but then he remembered that he had been previously been taken to Tyki's room. Of course, the redhead hadn't paid much attention anyway, as he had been far too tired to properly examine the room. One thing was for sure, it was much better than that room he was in before.

As Lavi slowly rose up and stretched his arms, letting out a loud yawn, he could smell the scent of smoke. At first, he coughed, not used to the sensation and honestly, he couldn't say that he approved of it in the first place. The Bookman would lecture the Noah but he already figured that it wouldn't be the first time Tyki got the lecture.

"Man, why is it that every time I see you, you are smoking? That stuff smells nasty," Lavi muttered and shook his head before sighing and looking around, "Say, Tyki, exactly how long was I asleep."

Tyki was caught off guard as he finally heard the Bookman wake up. It was about damn time. It had been so boring since Lavi feel asleep. Of course, Tyki did manage to get some sleep in that night but he was an early riser, so he had been up for a while. The Noah of Pleasure was glad that Lavi had woken up, though. It was just in time for breakfast, too. The trouble was that Lavi's clothes were absolutely terrible. Maybe it would pass for something at the order, but the outfit was just way too ruined.

"Don't tell me you are going to act like Road now?" Tyki sighed and rolled his eyes, though at the moment he was glad the Noah of Dreams was still asleep as they spoke, "It's not like I am going to die from it. Anyway, forget about my habit, we have something else to deal with. It will be breakfast soon and that outfit of yours simply won't do, you'll have to change."

Lavi looked his outfit over and rose an eyebrow. What was exactly was wrong with it? It looked like just fine to him. It wasn't his fault that Tyki had dressed so formal all the time. Or was it that the whole family in General had to dress like rich show-offs?

"Excuse me? What the hell is wrong with my choice of clothing?" Lavi muttered once more as he looked himself over. Maybe it was the fact that it was an Exorcist uniform… "I don't think there is anything wrong with it."

"What's wrong with it? Where do you want me to start?" Tyki said before rolling his eyes, "For one, you are still wearing that Exorcist uniform, a uniform you certainly won't be needing anymore. Secondly, when we are in the earl's presence we need to look the proper, but you don't have a change of clothes do you?"

That Noah bastard was right, now that he wasn't with the Order anymore, it wouldn't exactly be fitting. If anything, it would make things much more awkward than he wanted things to be. However, Tyki was right that he didn't have a change of clothes, why would he?

"Fine, I guess that makes sense but I don't have any change of clothes and I doubt you have anything for me," Lavi said with a frown as he turned his to look away from the Noah, "I don't understand why you care so much about your looks anyway."

Tyki stood up and ignored Lavi for a moment as he walked over towards his closet, looking for anything that would possibly look good on the new Bookman. When he'd finally found something, he breathed a sigh of relief and grabbed it. He then turned around to walk back to Lavi, making sure the door was closed behind him.

"Here, I'm not quite sure how big it will be on you but it should suffice for now until we can get your proper measurements and get your own clothes," Tyki said as he practically threw said clothes at Lavi, "Eyepatch, the Noah family are known aristocrats and we have to present ourselves as such, understand?"

Lavi said nothing in response but did mutter something to himself, making sure that not even Tyki would be able to hear him. The Bookman sighed as he looked at the clothes. He supposed there was no way going around it, there was no way Tyki was going to let him leave without changing. So, he got out of the bed, looking around for a bathroom.

"Excuse me, would you mind directing me 'ta a bathroom? I'd rather not have'ta go through the embarrassment of changing in front of you," Lavi said stubbornly, crossing his arms just as stubbornly, "I don't feel comfortable with having an audience."

Tyki sighed and directed him to a bathroom just outside his room but waited outside for Lavi. It was just job to watch him and he wanted to make sure the Bookman would try to escape. Within minutes the door opened, revealing the sharply dressed redhead. Lavi had even put down his hair. The Noah couldn't deny that Lavi looked much than he had before.

"I think that will do just fine, you should keep your hair down more often, it suits you," Tyki said and grinned slightly, "It's nice to see you without the Exorcist garb. Now, let's get going."

The moment Tyki had looked away and started leading him down the corridor, Tyki couldn't help but blush. Tyki actually thought Lavi looked good? That was honestly the first compliment he had gotten in a very long time, even if it was from a Noah. When he realized what he was thinking, Lavi shook his head. _Shut up, that doesn't mean anything. Tyki didn't mean anything by it._

Lavi was certainly use to having his hair up so, naturally it felt so odd having it put down. The only time he ever had it down was after shower but at the moment he had figured since he was supposed to look so 'clean' it would be better that way.

Neither male said anything else as they continued down the corridor before stopping in front of a set of double doors. This must be where the rest of the family was… Well, this was going to be fun, not. Lavi gulped as Tyki looked back him.

"Oh, relax, would you? It won't be bad if you behave," Tyki stated as he grabbed the handles, "The Earl or I will handle the family, should they decide to pull anything."

Tyki's words didn't calm him down at all. Of course, he was going to be worried. The last time he had seen all of them, they were enemies and he was pretty sure some of them still wanted him dead, right? Still, he kept his composure but only because Tyki advised it. The Bookman nodded and Tyki opened the doors.

When the two stepped inside the room whatever noise that had been heard was now gone and was replaced by pure silence. Each member seemed to have their own reaction, ranging from confused to annoyed and/or pissed. Sheril most certainly didn't seem pleased. Lavi rested the urge to stick his tongue out at the said Noah. Without saying a single a word, Lavi followed Tyki to where they were going to sit and he sat down just as quietly, looking away from them all.

"Ah, and there they are, I was worried that you weren't going to show up, Tyki-pet," The Earl said cheerfully, a tone Lavi wasn't at all used to, "Well, you certainly clean up well, don't you Lavi-kun? Oh, and welcome to the family!"

"Sorry about that, Millennium Earl, Lavi only just woke up not too long ago," Tyki replied softly before winking over at Lavi teasingly, "I'm afraid we'll have to go shopping at some point as eyepatch here doesn't have any."

Lavi only chuckled awkwardly before bringing up a hand to rub the nape of his neck before replying, "Sorry about that, I'm afraid I've not been able 'ta get a good night rest so I guess I overslept a bit, my bad. Tyki practically forced me 'ta put this one so I couldn't really resist. Thank you, Earl, glad 'ta be here."

Of course, Lavi had added a bit of sarcasm because he really wasn't glad to be there… It was too big of a situation change. Also, he had purposely directed his other commented to Sheril, who obviously got the clue as he could hear him scoff in the background.

"Ah, sorry about that, Sheril can be quite the sadist but don't worry about that, k?" The Earl replied, keeping his attention on Lavi and Tyki, "No worries, Tyki-pet, we'll get that straightened out but for now let's have some breakfast, yeah?"

Lavi looked on as several Akuma entered the room with several dishes of food, making him drool. He hadn't seen this much food since before he'd been abducted by the Noah. If anything positive came out of this, is that he was going to get some good food. Then as the Noah's started digging in, Lavi looked them over.

It's funny. In a way, they almost reminded him of how it was back at the Order, especially with how the twins were acting. They had the same appetite that Allen had. Lavi shook his head, immediately the urge to think about his friend… former friend.

Lavi chuckled softly and ate his own food. Let's just say that after everyone was done, the table was an absolute mess on the other end. It's like have of them were sloppy and the others weren't.

"So, Lavi, tell about yourself, I'd like to get to know you more since you'll be staying with us from now on," The Earl grinned over at him, causing Lavi to freeze up, "Well, no need to be so shy Bookman, you are with family, after all."

A few of the Noah started arguing over what the Earl had said. They didn't agree with the Earl calling Lavi family. Lavi could understand perfectly why they would think that. Still, that wouldn't change anything, he was still stuck here. Damn that seductive Noah.

"Well, there really isn't too much to say about myself, my life has been relatively simple," Lavi started to explain quietly, not really comfortable with talking about himself, "When I was six the Bookman took me in and from there on I trained with him. By the time we arrived at the Order a few years back I had already been through forty-eight alias. I'm on my forty-ninth one, now."

Apparently that was enough to catch the Earl's interest as he watched Lavi curiously, "Forty-nine alias's? My, oh, my, you have been busy! So Lavi isn't your real name, is it?"

Lavi now rose an eyebrow, he understood that the Earl was curious but did he really have to know all these things? Fine, he would play ball, as long as the Earl didn't get too personal, not he would let him.

"Of course, this isn't my real name but my real name isn't important, so I would appreciate it if you didn't go into that." Lavi said, his tone turning darker, "I may be your Bookman but don't expect me to tell you everything about me."

The Earl was taken back by Lavi's tone. Never once had he expected him to react like that. Perhaps, though, he would open up in the future. For now the Earl would leave it be.

"C'mon now, no need to be so mean, Lavi-kun, I didn't mean to say anything wrong," The Earl said, though he never stopped grinning, "In time I'm sure we'll come to trust each other but one thing you need to know is that if you betray us, I will personally kill you, got that?"

Lavi shuttered at the Earl's threat. The oldest Noah may have sounded cheerful but hidden underneath that cheery voice as malice. He could recognize that anywhere. He didn't really say anything, though.

"Understood… but I made a promise to Tyki and I keep the promises I make," Lavi explained, sadly telling the truth, "And I am pretty sure the Old Panda could care less about me now."

Apparently Sheril had been glaring at Lavi the whole time as he spoke, probably not happy about this situation at all. The older brother of Tyki began to finally speak up in a dark tone, "You're lucky that Tyki convinced the Earl to free you… I don't trust you one bit and it isn't the Earl that you are going to have to worry about."

"Oh, come now, Sheril, let's not scare away our new family member," The Earl tsked and shook his rather big head at Sheril, "We've gone over this, none of this is Lavi-kun's fault, and besides… He is our Bookman now, not their's."

The room went awkwardly silent after that but it also seemed that the other members hadn't chimed in yet, but Lavi had a feeling they would at some point. So, he cleared his throat but didn't stand up.

"Excuse me, Earl, but may I be excused now? I'm finished and I'd rather not cause anymore awkwardness." Lavi said quietly, looking pleadingly at Tyki, whom sighed.

"I suppose I'm all finished up, too. While we're at it we might as well do the shopping," Tyki suggested calmly, "I'll be with him to make sure everything turns out okay, I promise."

At first it seemed like the Earl wanted to say no. The Earl had said before that he didn't want him out until he thought it was safe but there was no avoiding it. Lavi knew what he needed and if their situation were to be jeopardized, Tyki knew to come back. So, he hesitantly nodeed.

"Okay, I will accept your terms but I will be expecting you back as soon as you are done, no messing around, got it?" The Earl explained as he raised an eyebrow, "You're dismissed."

The two stood up and bowed. Lavi couldn't help but sigh with relief. Thank god he was able to get out of this room. Thank god Tyki was good at coming up with excuses but it would be a fun trip, that's for sure. Hopefully they wouldn't run into anyone…


	5. The Day out on the Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lavi and Tyki take a trip outside of the Ark.

The sun was shining brightly and Lavi couldn't help at the sight. It been so long since he had been able to actually go out in it and relax. Lavi felt relief as he was able to observe things that were outside of the Ark. Honestly, being cooped up in the Ark wasn't exactly what he'd envisioned for his future. Though, he couldn't complain about the luxury provided, even if it was hard to tolerate some of the Noah.

Tyki and Lavi had been walking down the street before Lavi had stopped and looked like he was spacing off. Of course, the Noah was curious as to what was running through the redhead's mind. It was a shame he couldn't read minds like Wisely. However, the longer the Bookman was standing around, the more time he was wasting. So, the Noah sighed and shook the Bookman to get his attention.

At first Lavi didn't notice Tyki trying to get his attention as he was too lost in his thoughts. However, when the Noah started shaking harder, it certainly got his attention. Lavi blinked in response before chuckling awkwardly.

"Ah, sorry about that, Tyki," Lavi chuckled once more as he scratched the top of his head, "It's been so long since I saw the world outside of the Ark, so I was looking around is all. I'll try not 'ta space off again."

The Noah didn't blame Lavi, after all, he'd been locked up in a room with no windows. If he were in the same situation, he would do the same thing. Tyki shrugged it off, not really caring too much about it.

"I don't mind, just try not to do it too much, we can't take up too much time or the Earl will get on me." Tyki sighed as he continued to walk, though looking back to make sure the Bookman was following him, "Who knows if there are any Exorcists running amok."

Speaking of Exorcists, Lavi wondered what would happen if they did encounter them. It would certainly make it awkward as they would notice who his traveling companion would be. Still, a deal's a deal, even the Order commented on the fact that he betrayed them. Oh well.

"If they show up I'm we can handle them, right Tyki?" Lavi inquired before running into Tyki, not even having noticed that the Noah stopped, "Besides, wouldn't it test any doubts you might have about me?"

Tyki knew that Lavi was right. If the Bookman was still on the Exorcist's side, it would be the revealing moment. Still, that was a situation he would rather avoid at the moment. In any case, he wasn't going to worry about it too much, as it would they have arrived at their destination.

"Oh well, that's not something we should worry about right now, let's just get to the task at hand," Tyki said before opening the door and gesturing Lavi inside, "And don't worry about not having the money, I'll be the one providing the money so find whatever you find suitable."

Whatever Lavi found suitable, eh? Honestly, Lavi never cared much about his appearance. After all, it was never really an issue. So, perhaps he wasn't the best judge when it came clothes. Lavi wasn't exactly known to be fashionable. The Bookman just sighed in response as he stepped inside and let his eyes wonder around the room.

"Wow… There is a whole lot of clothes here… How could I possibly decide what to pick?" Lavi asked, seemingly confused by it all, "I can't even think of what I would get. The Old Panda and I didn't go shopping very often… Mind helping me, Tyki?"

At first Tyki was caught off guard but he shrugged it off. It wouldn't be too hard to pick out clothes, not for someone as simple as Lavi. He looked Lavi over head to toe before walking around, ever so slowly grabbing whatever he thought Lavi might look good in. Lavi wasn't really saying, so he could only assume that they would do. The Bookman was surprisingly easy to buy for, what a relief.

Tyki practically shoved the clothes at Lavi before speaking up, "There are your clothes, try to them on and see what you think but don't take too long, got it?"

Lavi muttered to himself as he found a dressing room and started doing as he was told. The clothes Tyki had picked out weren't actually that bad and surprisingly, they look decent on him. When he was done, he put the clothes back on their hangers and came on out, heading straight towards Tyki.

"Those will do just fine, thanks for helping me pick, Tyki," Lavi said, smiling slightly as he did so, "I don't know how long we would have been here if I had 'ta do it all on my own."

Tyki would have responded, however he could suddenly sense the presence of innocence. Dammit, that was something he wanted to avoid. It wasn't that hard to point out where it was coming from, either, it was just not too far out from the store they were in. So, Tyki very quickly paid for the clothes.

"As much as I'd like to continue this conversation here, I think we better go," Tyki said, preparing himself for anything that might happen, "There are Exorcists out there and the sooner we get away from them the better."

Of course, it would just their luck to deal with them even though they had been going on saying that they wanted to avoid the situation. Oh well, eventually he would've had to out himself anyway. Lavi took a deep breath and nodded.

"Well, let's hurry and get to the Ark before we don't have the chance to," Lavi sighed and bravely stepped forward, as if ready to deal with what he knew was coming. However, he froze up when he saw Kanda. Shit.

What was Kanda doing here? In fact, how was Kanda here? Last Lavi had heard, Kanda was sent away with Alma. He only knew because Sheril had ranted about it one time. He took a deep breath and looked back at Tyki, who pressed him on. With much hesitancy, Lavi advanced forward, Tyki standing right behind him. Needless to say, upon discovering Lavi (he didn't see Tyki), Kanda was completely in shock.

The Order had told Kanda that aside from Allen, Lavi and the Bookman had disappeared. Kanda had some idea where Allen was, hence why he was tracking him. However, until now, Lavi's whereabouts had been unknown.

"Baka Usagi? What the hell are you doing here?" Kanda said in surprise as he approached the other male, though still sounding as serious as he usually was, "Where have you been all of this time?"

Lavi frowned at Kanda's words. He knew exactly how the Kanda would react to the news. But Lavi knew him, and if he tried to keep a secret, Yuu would find out. So, it was better to just tell him.

"Well, the Noah took me and the Old Panda hostage and tried to beat answers out of us. Sheril isn't exactly the nicest person in the world, however…" Lavi went quiet before looking away, knowing full well of Tyki's presence. "Old Panda left me behind and it was hell. But I have something to tell you but you aren't going to like it."

Lavi's face went stone cold serious before continuing, "I'm no longer going to be apart of the Black Order. As a Bookman, I was getting far too close so it was time to move on."

"What do you mean by that Baka Usagi?" Kanda asked as he raised an eyebrow, though he already had a good idea, he just wanted confirmation and to hope he wasn't right.. "What are you trying to tell me."

Lavi was about to say something but it seemed he didn't have to as Tyki came out from behind him. He looked over at Tyki, who brought his hand up to shh him. The Bookman could see the wide grin on Tyki's face as he was looking at Kanda.

"What eyepatch here is trying to say is that he switched sides," Tyki said with a smirk as he wrapped an arm around the Bookman's shoulder and pulled him closer to him, "He's with us Noah, now."

 


	6. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lavi surprises Kanda.

When Kanda had first set eyes on Lavi he was surprised but he was also glad to see him. Whether he would have said it out loud or not, the samurai did have somewhat of a soft spot for Lavi, despite how annoying the redhead was. Seeing him now gave him some relief that at least someone was alright. However, why exactly was Lavi here anyway? Where was the Bookman?

Apparently, though, Lavi did not have the same reaction that he did. No, Lavi was relieved, it looked more like he was panicking. Why would he be reacting like that? Did something happen while he was gone or what? So, he decided to ask him and the response he got confused him even more than he had been moments before.

"Well, the Noah took me and the Old Panda hostage and tried to beat answers out of us. Sheril isn't exactly the nicest person in the world, however…" After saying that Lavi gone quiet, but why? Kanda could feel the tension. "Old Panda left me behind and it was hell. But I have something to tell you but you aren't going to like it."

The last few words that came out of Lavi's mouth made Kanda freeze on the spot. He already didn't like where this conversation was heading, not at all.

"I'm no longer going to be a part of the Black Order. As a Bookman, I was getting far too close so it was time to move on."

Did Lavi just say what he thought he did? Kanda was really hoping that he would be wrong but deep down, he knew exactly what the response was going to be. Kanda finally spoke up, raising an eyebrow, "What do you mean by that, Baka, Usagi? What you are trying to tell me?"

When Lavi didn't reply, Kanda could've sworn the air went cold. Even more so, the serious expression on Lavi's face was concerning. What exactly was going on? At first it seemed like Lavi was going to say something but then something else happened that Kanda did not see coming. Coming from behind Lavi was Tyki Mikk.

Kanda glared coldly at Tyki as he reached to pull out Mugen, not at all amused by the look on Tyki's face. Another thing, why wasn't Lavi resisting and running away? No…

"What eyepatch is telling you, is that he switched sides," Tyki said as he pulled Lavi close to him to the point that their bodies were touching, "He has decided to join the Noah's side now, he's ours."

Lavi looked away, finding it impossible to look at Kanda in the eyes. There was no going back, no, he could never go back. If this meant that his former friends would be his foes, then so be it. The Bookman took a deep breath and only then could he decide to look at Kanda, who was staring directly at him, as if waiting for answer.

"Like I said, I was getting too close and as a Bookman I couldn't let that continue," Lavi commented, his face once more stone-faced, "Before you say anything, I haven't been brainwashed. The decision I made was of my own volition."

Of course, Lavi wasn't going to mention everything. He wasn't going to mention that his decision was also made to save his life. The Bookman had no room for regret in his life anymore. Dare he say it, if he had his hammer, he would even use it against Kanda. Well, if he had it that is. Last time he checked, Sheril still had it or it was wherever that bastard had put it.

Lavi didn't even have to look at Tyki to know that he was grinning. That Noah bastard was enjoying this. Then again, that was just who Tyki was, especially when it affected his enemies. After all, Tyki was quite the sadist, all the Noah were.

His grin was probably only growing as Kanda drew Mugen and pointed it right at Tyki. There was a killing intent in his eyes and Lavi could tell that his former friend didn't believe a word he said. Kanda was always so stubborn but this wasn't the right time to be stubborn but telling him that wouldn't make a difference.

"You Noah bastard, what have you done to Lavi?" Kanda snapped as he tightened his grip on Mugen as he continued to glare at the Noah of Pleasure, "You're making Lavi do this, aren't you? There is no way Lavi would pull a stunt like this without being tricked! I will kill you and then take Lavi back where he belongs."

Without any warning, Kanda launched forward and swung Mugen at Tyki, who easily managed to avoid the attack. That didn't stop the Exorcist, though, he would continue his efforts until Tyki got what he deserved. However, it seemed like Tyki wasn't too worried… It was like he knew what was going to happen.

As he swung at Tyki one time, he could hear a very loud shout telling him to stop. Of course, Kanda didn't dare stop his attack. However, that thought disappeared the moment Lavi appeared right in front of him. Apparently Lavi had rush in between them and held his hands out, as if defending the Noah of Pleaure. The grin on Tyki's face never fading.

"Kanda, put Mugen away, if you don't you'll leave me with no choice but 'ta let Tyki has his way with you," Lavi threatened, his voice more serious than it was before as he glared at Kanda, "I mean it, I won't stop Tyki from killing you."

When Kanda put away Mugen, Lavi relaxed and put his arms down. Well, that stopped the situation from getting to messy. More importantly, they were taking up too much time. He knew that if provoked, things would definitely take a turn for the worse.

"Kanda, I mean what I said before, Tyki nor the other Noah forced me into this, everything I do is my choice and my choice alone. Where I belong isn't with you or the Order. I'm already where I belong but if you insist on behaving this way then…" Lavi went silent for a moment before continuing, his voice taking a darker tone, "Then I will have 'ta consider you my enemy, too."

Suddenly Lavi could feel warm arms wrap around him but he did nothing to resist and from behind him, he could hear Tyki say, "I'd listen to eyepatch here, or it really will cost you your life, isn't that right, eyepatch?"

Lavi only nodded in response but he didn't take his eyes off his former comrade, who glared at the two. Now Kanda knew on which side of the war he was with, finally. The Bookman broke out of Tyki's arms before turning to face him.

"Tyki, the longer we are here the more the Earl is going 'ta worry, and we did promise him that we wouldn't be too long. I'd rather not get on the Earl's bad side so early, " Lavi pointed out before looking over his shoulder at Kanda, "From here on out, I'm not your friend or ally. We stand on opposite sides and do me a favor and spread the word 'ta your beloved order, got it?"

Tyki was honestly surprised by Lavi's actions. Yes, he knew that Lavi would eventually out himself but now and to Kanda no less? Lavi never ceased to amaze him. Not only had he outed himself but he went out of his way to protect him, but why? That's something he would have to ask later.

The Noah turned to face the opposite direction and grabbed Lavi's hand, pulling him along as he started to move away. Lavi could only look down at his hand as Tyki had grabbed it. The Bookman would have easily followed the Noah without him holding his hand like that… But with one final look back, he saw Kanda glaring back at them, namely Tyki.

_See you around, Yuu-chan._


	7. Reunion

It was a long, quiet walk to the entrance to the Ark as Lavi kept to himself. Tyki, of course, was glancing at Lavi and noticed that Lavi wasn't paying much attention. It was a wonder how the redhead managed to walk in a straight line. But it was also hard to read Lavi as he wore a blank expression.

Despite what his face was expressing, it was the opposite of what of Lavi was feeling. He was still shaken up from the ordeal with Kanda. Yes, while he had agreed to the Noah's Bookman that didn't stop him from feeling some guilt. While some part of him was thankful that his secret out, another part of him wanted to say he was sorry to Kanda. The news had obviously been a bombshell and the friendship they once had was now gone.

How could he do this to the Order? To his old comrades and friends? Once upon a time, he'd been happy with them but now that had crumbled. Now that Kanda knew, he would tell the rest of the Order and everyone would be after him most likely, even if he was just a Bookman. However, if anything, Komui might understand but still… It was quite the side change. If only the Bookman hadn't of left, things might have turned out much different.

When the Bookman was around, it was easier for him to live through the day to day torture that the new Noah's Bookman had been going through but then he disappeared. Speaking of, where exactly did the Bookman go to and why? How did he get out in the first place? Still, that mean the Bookman was alive and well, so that gave him some happiness but at the same time anger. How dare the Bookman betray him like that, leaving him alone in place where there weren't many kind people.

Actually, that statement wasn't completely true. Although it hadn't been long at all, Lavi could also tell the difference in some of the Noah's personalities. It seemed like the Noah acted differently towards those they deemed allies or family. So, when he had agreed to be their Bookman, some of the hostility had died down, well, except for Sheril. Lavi was pretty sure that Sheril still despised him, not like he cared anyway. However, there was one specific Noah who had been much nicer to him during his whole stay here and that was Tyki. Then again, Tyki has always been the friendliest Noah period, aside from Road. Perhaps it was because of the fact that Tyki, in a way, understand how non-Noah felt?

Lavi shook his head at the thought. Why on earth was thinking about Tyki in the first place? Tyki was just another person, another being in a world he was only meant to record. He sighed and his thoughts were interrupt when Tyki finally managed to get his attention.

"Hey, eyepatch, are you even in there?" Tyki asked as he rose an eyebrow and smiled as he noticed that he got the redheads attention, "Oh, thank goodness. I thought I had lost you there… Did you even hear a single word I said before?"

"Sorry about that, Tyki, I guess I was just too lost in my own thoughts 'ta pay attention," Lavi chuckled awkwardly, smiling slightly at the Noah of Pleasure, "So, what were you tryin 'ta say 'ta me?"

Tyki sighed at Lavi's response before replying, "I was saying that you surprised me earlier. Honestly, I thought that you weren't going to have enough balls to tell your old friend the truth. We were all worried that you might have ran away with your friends if you ran into them but you proved us wrong, you even sounded a bit ruthless there, too."

This wasn't much of a surprise to Lavi. It was very obvious that, even though the family had gotten friendly slightly, they still didn't trust him. Hell, he even surprised himself. If he hadn't made the promise, he wouldn't have hesitated. Well, they wouldn't have even let him out if that was the case.

"I told you before, Tyki, when I make a promise I keep it, unlike the Bookman," Lavi muttered as he looked forward and shook his head, "Besides, it was best to get the truth out there so there wouldn't be any questions later. They'll know where I stand now. With Yuu I had to be more ruthless, otherwise he wouldn't believe me, he probably still has his doubts."

Tyki didn't say it out loud but he was very pleased with how things went down. Not only had they managed to get Lavi clothes (thank god he would be out of that Exorcist garb) but he got to see the look on the girly-samurai's face when the truth was revealed. Oh, and reaction to Tyki's reveal was priceless. Though, he had gotten very mad when Kanda spoke so rudely to him. Yes, he could take it once but constantly… no. He would have easily killed the Exorcist but for some reason he let Lavi his way. Why didn't he just kill Kanda anyway? Damn that Bookman…

"Yeah well, just so you know, if he behaves so rudely again, I won't let you stop me from killing him, got it?" Tyki replied seriously, squinting at the Bookman, "I only listened because we needed to leave, that's all."

Don't worry about me stopping you next time because I won't, didn't you hear what I told him back there?" Lavi sighed once more before stopping, "If it comes down to it, I'll even kill him myself. He's an enemy now, anyway but your brother also has my hammer so…"

"Don't worry about my brother, I'll take care of the issue once we get back, we're close now," Tyki promised before halting and raising an eyebrow at Lavi, "Did I just hear you say that you would kill that Exorcist yourself? Would you really do that?"

Lavi honestly didn't want to have to resort to it but it seemed like the right thing to do. If Kanda was an enemy than he couldn't go that soft on him. If the Noah still had doubts at that time, it would surely prove his loyalty, it just had to.

"Of course, I would, why wouldn't I? I have no more ties to any of them anymore," Lavi pointed out before nodding, "Good, so can we just focus on finding the door already? I just really want to get back into the Ark…"

Tyki would have said anything, but he didn't want to make things awkward, so he stayed quiet and advanced forward. It didn't even take that long for them to reach the gate and once they did, the pair quickly entered. Finally they could both relax for a while, well at least Tyki could. Of course, once they entered the mansion, they were greeted by a cheerful Earl.

"Ah, I see you managed to make it back, I was going to start worrying if you took any longer," The Earl commented before smiling at the two of them, "I take it that the trip didn't go as smoothly as you wanted it to? Usually you are faster, Tyki-pon."

"I am terribly sorry about being so late but you are right, see, we did encounter a problem on our way back," Tyki responded and scratched the nape of his neck, "We ran into some unexpected companion and had to take care of and Exorcist. Apparently, Kanda Yuu is back. He ran into us and it was interesting, to say the least."

The Earl turned to face Lavi and rose an eyebrow at him. He tried to read what Lavi was thinking but it was hard to tell with that lack of expression on Lavi's face. It made him wonder just how things turned out. Judging by the fact that they were here, he didn't have too much to worry about but still… Curiosity got the best of him.

"We'll take care of that problem later, as he still needs to pay for Skinn's death. For now I am kind of curious as to how Lavi here handled it," The Earl replied as he watched Lavi closely, who didn't seem surprised at all, "How was it, meeting a former comrade? I bet it made for an awkward situation."

"It was surprising, seeing Yuu-chan but I wasn't there to socialize with him but it was very awkward," Lavi commented, doing his best to remain stone-faced as he sighed, "I did what I had to do. I told him what he needed to know and it took some time for him to believe me. He almost started a fight with Tyki if I didn't hold him back. However, I'm not highly convinced that Yuu-chan has given up on me, we'll have to see."

Lavi went quiet for a moment before speaking up once more, "As much as I'd like to continue this conversation, I would like to kick back and relax in Tyki's room or something, it's been a long, tiring day."

The Earl only nodded in response. If he wanted to talk more about it, he would have the chance later. After all, all they had was time, mostly. So, the Earl just simply let them go, his grin not faltering. Things were definitely going to be more interesting around here.

_**Outside of the Ark** _

Kanda continued to search for Allen (the original reason as to why he was there in the first place) but he was finding it hard to completely focus on the task at hand. That, of course, was because of what happened with Tyki. He just couldn't quite believe it…The fact that Lavi had admitted to being with the Noah now.

Never once had he imagined Lavi betraying them and joining the Noah. Lavi was someone who he found to be strong and hard to break, so how is that he could pull a stunt like that? Maybe that wasn't the case at all. Since Tyki was there, maybe the Noah had put him under pressure. For all he knew, Lavi could still be taken captive. That or he was simply being used for something he was yet to be aware of. There was no way he would believe that Lavi was a traitor, not until he had proper evidence.

Kanda knew that he would run into Lavi again, most likely with a Noah, and this time he would be prepared. Until then he would do his best to worry about Allen because he owed that Beansprout something. Allen gave him the chance to spend the last few moments Alma with him. However, he felt guilt over what he had done to Allen. It was because of him that the fourteenth was going to be more of a pain in the ass.

The blue-head halted on the spot as he could hear some kind of ruckus around the trains(which he had only recently reached) and he could swear he could hear Johnny… Kanda sighed and headed over to the general direction of the ruckus to confirm his thoughts. When he could get a good look, he did notice Johnny, who seemed to be defending himself against a person sitting across from him. Seeing what the other was holding, Kanda ran over and did his best to make neither him nor Johnny was hit as pulled Johnny away.

Whatever had been going on, the Order was obviously trying to make Johnny forget everything. That meant that the scientist had left the Order for some reason. So, what exactly was the reason? He had to find out. So, Kanda pulled out his sword and pointed it at the stranger.

"Look, I don't know what this is all about but I won't let you do that to Johnny, so do me a favor and leave before I do anything I might regret," Kanda threatened as he gripped the handle tighter, "I would listen to me if I were you."

Obviously, the man didn't listen and tried to hit him with another one (apparently he had more than one). Kanda easily sliced through the can then proceeded to go for the other, making sure to now point a dull end at him before hitting him, ultimately knocking him out. He turned to face Johnny and sighed.

"C'mon, we better get going before this guy wakes up and decides to get you again," Kanda muttered as he slowly stepped out and began walking forward before stopping once more, "Say, what are you doing here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be at the Order with the other Scientists?"

Johnny looked over at Kanda with relief but also surprised. He was very glad that Kanda was there to save him but how was he there? Last time he saw him he was... during those events. Still, it was nice to seeing his face for once.

"I was supposed to be there but things happened and I decided to leave to find Allen-kun, for that I had to leave the Order…" Johnny said with a frown before following Kanda, trying to keep up with him, "Are you here for the same reason? When did you even get back?"

"So, that explains why he was trying to wipe your memory but you shouldn't have come, you should know that it isn't safe outside of the order for someone like you," Kanda muttered before sighing once more, "I'm here because I owe the Beansprout for what he's done and it doesn't matter when I got here. Anyway, I suggest you leave, preferably back to the Order."

Johnny shook his head before replying, "No, I have to be here to find my friend, Allen needs my help… I don't care how dangerous it is but hey, maybe I can travel with you? I mean, we're going to be doing the same thing, right?"

"Fine, do what you want but I'm not going to be your damn babysitter. If you get hurt its all on you, got it?" Kanda said as he once more moved forward and looked ahead, "Keep a close eye out, seeing as that's the only thing you'll be able to do. Oh, and if Lavi shows up, steer clear of him…"

Johnny found himself confused by Kanda's words. He didn't understand the whole bit with Allen but the mention of Lavi caught him off guard. What was he talking about? No one in the order had even seen Lavi either, so his whereabouts were unknown.

"Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself, with each other's help we will find Allen-kun in no time," Johnny beamed before raising an eyebrow, "What do you mean when I see Lavi to steer clear of him? Lavi hasn't even been around…"

There was a moment of silence and Johnny could see a frown form on Kanda's face. Apparently Kanda knew something that he didn't but why would they have to worry about Lavi? Lavi was their friend and comrade, right? Johnny found no reason to be worried about it, not yet anyway.

"It's not like I would have needed your help in the first place, in fact, you will most likely hold me back…" Kanda muttered before going quiet, struggling to form words before finally speaking up, "You haven't seen Lavi because he's been with the Noah, apparently. Unfortunately, it appears that he has switched sides, though. He was with Tyki earlier… But I think that they may have brainwashed Lavi."

_**Later that day in the Ark** _

Lavi had been staying in Tyki's room, not doing particularly anything. Honestly, there wasn't a whole lot to do here but he did prefer to be here than outside the Ark at the moment. Still, that didn't help him from being bored. Tyki wasn't here either, in fact, he was out doing something else. When the door to the room opened, he thought it would be Tyki but it wasn't, no, it was Road.

Lavi really hadn't seen Road that much during his time here. The only time he had really seen her was before he went shopping. Road definitely hadn't changed though. In fact, she looked very happy for some odd reason. So, when she practically jumped on him, his eyes widened and all he could do was sit there awkwardly.

"Lavi-kun! It's so nice to see you again, I've missed you so much," Road beamed as she hugged the redhead tightly, not showing any signs of letting go, "I know the last time we really met was in that Ark and I really didn't mean to be that mean to you… I just want you to know that I am sorry about that. But that's okay, right? You're here and we can start anew. I mean, you are with us now and I promise that we are so much better than those Exorcists you have been with!"

To Lavi, Road really did sound like a child. Not only that but she was talking really fast and slightly loud. It was a good thing he could understand her just enough to comprehend what she was saying.

"Hey, don't worry about that, okay? All of that stuff was only in the past and there is nothing we can do about it, alright?" Lavi sighed and shrugged it off, not wanting to think about the past at the moment, "Yeah, I am beginning 'ta notice how different things are now. Turns out some of you Noah aren't that bad I guess. Honestly, what you did back then was probably helpful. It just reminded me just how much I strayed from the Bookman I was supposed be, so thanks."

Hearing Lavi's words made Road smile with glee. She honestly did like Lavi but he had been on the opposite side. So, naturally the Noah were never kind to anyone who wasn't a Noah or on their side. It was also nice to know that they had a Bookman who could supply all the information they needed. However, there was one question that she'd always wondered.

"I'm so glad I was able to help you then and now we don't have to fight each other anymore, right?" Road Beamed once more before finally letting go as Lavi seemed to be struggling to breath, "Say, Lavi, when I was in your mind there was one thing I was never able to figure out… Why do you wear that eyepatch?"

Lavi's eyes (only one could be seen) widened at the question. He wasn't quite sure what brought this on but this was something he wasn't willing to answer. If anyone knew it might cause some changes, changes that he didn't want. So, Lavi frowned and shook his head.

"Look, I'll help ya every way I can but I don't think that is any of your business," Lavi muttered and looked away from Road, "This is something that I won't tell anyone, got that? Now, if you mind, I want some rest and it would be best if you left."

Road frowned as she seemed to have touched a soft spot. Whatever was underneath the eyepatch was obviously very important. However, that wouldn't stop her from finding it out. Eventually she or someone else would get in the information out of him. She sighed before standing up, still frowning.

"I'm sorry, Lavi-kun, I really didn't mean to push on any buttons," She replied and turned to leave the room before glancing once more over her shoulder, smiling, "See you around!"

When the coast was clear, Lavi placed a hand over the eyepatch and took a deep breath. _No one can learn what's underneath here._

 


End file.
